


The Circle Mage's Guide to Civil Disobedience

by zalzaires



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Essay, Gen, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-05 13:56:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3122699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zalzaires/pseuds/zalzaires
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And remember. This is the Circle. There are always eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I-III

_-from the anonymous agitator, with love for all who live under the feared dominion of the sun with twisted spires_

 

I

Firstly, rearranging large swathes of the library does nobody any good. It drives Enchanters barmy, befuddles apprentices, makes more work for the Tranquil, and is frankly overdone. Someone is going to notice you shuffling around big quantities of books. This is the Circle. There are always eyes. You might wake up some old, half-cocked ritual or twelve; there's been more magical shenanigans wrought in that library than most 'attuned' places across Thedas. Better to mess with one book, _once,_ for a _short term_ reason. And in such a way it's not the end of the world if your chosen tome gets pawed over.

In short: misfiling the entirety of _Encyclopedia Arcana_ is not cute, witty, or wise.

If you stumbled across this document while in the midst of doing just that, I beg of you: keep reading.

 

II

Apprentice, take heed: shame a Templar once, you're a wit. Shame the same one twice, you're a half-wit. Do not give them reason to differentiate you, not unless your petty actions are supported by a not-so-petty safety net. Acting in groups works better. They will see you for your numbers, in that case. A Templar complaining of a slight from a gaggle of magelings is considered comical by their betters, and harder to punish. Everyone worth acting out with will redirect for each other. Those who don't are not worth being a cohort of. And by the Maker, do _not_ brag about it, no matter how much it makes you feel warm and fluffy inside. This is the Circle. There are always ears.

 

III

The inevitable happens: you are caught. Do not volunteer information. You do not know what all they might know, and a loose tongue slicks the road to perdition. Listen carefully to the accusations, and evaluate the circumstances of your situation: what seems obvious to you, as an insider, but may not be to the interloping force?

Scenario: you are alone. The Templar is in your personal space, and you are fearful that physical force may come next. They are shouting in your face, and not giving you time to speak. It is tempting to simply shut down. It is tempting to babble and shrink away. Do not retreat: you will need to know all that happens here, so that you may act aptly later. Do not speak unless you are certain of your words and what they may imply. Speak slowly, simply, keep your emotions in check. You are a Mage. Your very life hinges on control. That you have come this far shows that you are more than capable.

Remember that the fury of mortals is nothing before the bellow of a demon of Rage. This is one day in your life, one moment. Every night of your life you face the Fade. The Templars will never match the strength of will of a single Mage who has just woken up, hale and whole, from their dreams.


	2. IV

IV

It is always the discretion of the individual, in this life, where they draw the line. When, if ever, they become ready to lash back, in whatever ways they deign necessary. Be patient with our brethren who are not yet ready, for haste stirs its own whorls that may not ever be calmed. But do not let them bathe in the still waters of their own ignorance. One of the beautiful things within the Circle is the encouragement of knowledge, of self-improvement. It is not enough to practice these virtues in the pursuit of magic alone. But understand. So much of our lives are already as they are from force.

Please, if you have read this far, heed me: within the Circles our greatest weapon is that with no edge, that saps us of no mana. It is our powers of discourse between one another. There may be much waste in the schismatic nature of mage politic, but there is more waste in remaining utterly apolitical. To play at carelessness is a sham, a fair-weather shelter that will not hold under duress. From the first day you drew from the Fade and made the impossible not, you, I, all living mages were made into breathing effigies. We are not merely people. We _are_ politics.


End file.
